Have you ever driven up to a boat launch only to find another boater’s truck blocking the ramp while loading or unloading their gear? Boat launch etiquette is a common complaint among boaters, especially for this reason. Launching is an important boat-handling skill every boater needs to know.

There are a few unspoken rules of the boat launch that boaters are expected to know and practice. This helps the process be less painful, especially when we’re all trying to get out on the water for some fun. But how are you supposed to learn these “unspoken rules” without dozens of launches under your Captain’s hat?

Just read until the end, and you’ll be an educated boat launch pro!

We’ll be covering the following sections in this article. Feel free to click ahead by selecting one of the sections below.

A boat on a trailer behind a truck.

 

Choosing the Right Trailer

Before you go anywhere, you’ll need to determine if you have the right equipment. If you don’t have it, you’ll need to know the equipment you should purchase for the job.

Picking any old boat trailer won’t do. Make sure the trailer can hold your boat based on the length and weight of the vessel and can safely tow it and launch it.

Attaching the Boat Trailer to Your Vehicle

Provided you have all the right equipment, you’re ready to go!

At this stage, you’ll need to attach the boat trailer to your vehicle. To do so, follow this quick and easy step-by-step checklist:

  1. Balance: Ensure the trailer is properly balanced and level.
  2. Position the vehicle: Move the vehicle so that the hitch ball is directly below the trailer’s coupler, then lower the trailer.
  3. Fasten the trailer: Securely fasten the tongue coupler and lock the trailer latch using a cotter pin or lock.
  4. Fasten the boat to the trailer: Using tie-down straps, securely fasten the boat to the trailer.
  5. Attach the safety chain: Attach the winch cable and winch safety chain to the bow eye of the boat (if so equipped).
  6. Check the chain: Ensure the trailer’s safety chains are securely fastened to the hitch. The chains should be long enough to accommodate tight turns but short enough so that the trailer cannot touch the road if it becomes dislodged from the hitch.
  7. Check your lights: Fasten the trailer’s lighting harness to your vehicle and check the lights.

After completing these steps, you’re ready to tow your boat to the ramp. Watch the video below to learn more about towing your boat!


Know the Different Types of Boaters at the Boat Launch

Let’s talk next about some of the characters you’re likely to find around the boat launch. Watch for these boaters and their procedures, and you’ll quickly learn what to do and what you should definitely not do at the boat launch.

Last Minute Larry

Unfortunately, Larry never made a checklist. He never prepared his boat or practiced driving with his boat behind the truck – nothing.

So, after driving back and forth up the boat launch, he throws it in park, loads the boat with all the gear from his truck, fills the cooler with ice, and messes around with the tie-downs for what seems like forever.

Painful, right? Don’t be Larry.

Family Man Mike

This is a boater who likes to have fun!

Mike knows how awesome watersports can be and prides himself in getting all the cool toys for his family. However, Mike didn’t pack his boat before heading to the launch. So he stood there with three kids, two dogs, and 27 different inflatables, trying to fit them all into the boat.

If you see this, you might as well take a nap because this could take a while.

Checklist Charlie

On the road to being a pro, Charlie brought a checklist to the boat launch like a responsible boater! Too bad for the other boaters; it’s going to take Charlie 45 minutes to go through the whole list.

After doing this for so many years, Charlie should have a streamlined procedure – not a prolonged boat surgery.

Good Guy Greg

Our favourite boater, Greg, is a seasoned captain who makes us all proud at the boat launch.

Greg packs the boat before heading to the boat launch (he always remembers his boating license), uses a family member as a spotter, keeps the kids and dogs in the car, and has the most efficient loading list known to mankind. Greg is a smart boater. Be like Greg.

9 Steps to Launch Your Boat

Now that you know the types of people you’re likely to see at the ramp, it’s time to perfect your boat launch procedure. What you may not know is that this starts before you even leave your house, not the parking lot at the ramp.

To pre-launch properly, follow the steps below.

Pre-Launch

  1. Practice Driving. Practice driving (especially reversing) your vehicle with the trailer and boat attached in an open area. Do not do this at the boat launch. You could end up with a vehicle at the bottom of the lake or with damage to your own or someone else’s gear.
  2. Load all your equipment. Put all your equipment into the boat before you even think about driving down the boat launch. This is not an area for packing the boat. Get in, get out, go boating.
  3. Tie on buoys and fenders. Have your buoys or fenders tied on and dock lines ready to bring the boat to the dock.

Launch Procedure

  1. Remove tie-downs. Remove the straps that secure the boat to the trailer. Don’t remove the winch line from the bow eye – unless you want your boat to fall off the trailer before it’s in the water.
  2. Put in the drain plug. Put in your drain plug to keep the water in the lake where it belongs (and not in your boat).
  3. Unplug trailer lights. Do this if they’re not sealed and waterproof. You wouldn’t want to damage your equipment in the middle of the boat launch.
  4. Pump the fuel primer. Pump the fuel primer (if you have one). These are usually on outboard motors with fuel lines that connect to a fuel tank.
  5. Warm up the motor. Slowly back the boat into the water until the motor becomes submerged. Test the operation of the motor by starting it and allowing it to warm up for a minute. You’ll want to ensure your boat will actually start when it gets in the water and doesn’t float away.
  6. Back the boat into the water. Slowly back your boat into the water until the boat barely starts to float.
truck reversing boat down ramp into water to launch

Launching the boat by yourself (1 Person)

If you’re launching the boat on your own, you’ll need to adjust the steps above.

Back your boat into the water until it barely starts to float. Release the winch line and use the bow and stern lines to guide the boat off the trailer. Then, tie your boat to the dock and proceed to remove your vehicle from the ramp.

Launching the Boat With Two or More People

If you are launching with two or more people, ask one to sit in the boat and the other to be a spotter when you back the trailer down the ramp. That way, the person in the boat can drive the boat off the trailer once launched (after the winch line is released) and drive to the courtesy dock.

Learn more about launching your boat in the video below!

Practice to Avoid a Launch Fail

Launching your boat is a procedure that you’ll master as long as you practice. Boaters can feel the pressure at the boat launch while everyone else is watching, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, this can be unnerving.

The perfect boat launch is only a few practice launches away. The most important points to recap on are:

  • Practice. Practice driving and reversing with your boat (you can even practice launching on a ramp early in the morning before anyone else is there).
  • Prep. Prep your gear, boat, ropes, and fenders before you approach the ramp.
  • Perfect. Create a good launch routine that you’re comfortable with and can rinse and repeat every time you’re ready to launch.

Check out our full video about launching a boat!

If you have questions about this process or other boating knowledge, check out the BOATsmart! Knowledge Base.

Learn More About Safe Boating Through Our Boating Course

While launching your boat is a crucial aspect of boating, it is only part of being a safe boater. As the Captain of your boat, you need to know the safety equipment that should be on board (and how to use it), navigate the waters and right of way, and know what to do if something goes wrong.

Our BOATsmart! boater courses cover these safety essentials (and more) to help you stay safe on the waters and get your boating license as required in Canada and the U.S. So, before your next launch, take the course for boating in Canada or choose the course for your state if boating in the U.S.!

We wish you a great summer on the water and a happy launch!

Content most recently reviewed and updated August 5, 2024.

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